57 replies to this topic

[Procyon]

Yeah, 3 series 4 eyepieces with 80-84 degrees of AFOV now, no reviews. And one new series 3 31.5mm 94 AFOV. For someone who likes 10mm of eye relief these might be great buys.

[ClayDavies]

Just a note: for public outreach, make sure all eyepieces have 19-21mm eye relief and are glasses-compatible.

Oh yea... Good point.  
For public outreach maybe I should stick with a long focal ratio instrument, the 17mm Hyperion and a 2x and 3x barlow.  

[rlomond]

These eyepiece series need some love.
Anyone try the new series 4?

I have some experience with the Speers Waler series 4. I own or have owned (briefly) the 6mm, 9mm and 14mm from this series. My main scopes are an 8 inch go-to dob, a 6se and 4.5 inch tabletop dob.

I'll start with the 6mm which I still own. I picked this one up used for a great price as I too was curious about the performance of these eyepieces. I don't generally have a lot of use for a 6mm with my scopes but after testing it on a couple evenings I found the views to be quite acceptable, eye relief and eye placement comfortable. (I don't wear glasses)

This convinced me to give the 9mm and 14mm a try. Unfortunately I found both of these quite a challenge to get used to. The 14mm was for the most part, unusable for me. No matter what I tried I had difficulty with eye placement and blackouts. I could not hold the correct eye position to get a decent view. The 9mm was a little better and I'd say the views were nice with good correction from what I saw.
The shop where I purchased them also offered some tips, but it didn't help. I tried these in all 3 scopes and just couldn't get used to them. They didn't stay in my possession for long, I took a small loss and returned both eyepieces.

I wish I had a better experience to share. What didn't work for me may work for someone else. It's really best to try before you buy when you can.
Antares has some very good products. I have a few of their other eyepieces and a diagonal I really like from them.


I now use 13 and 9mm type 6 Naglers as my go-to wide fields with no complaints. They offer great views and are much easier for me to hold the correct eye position. I would also highly recommend the Explore Scientific 82 degree lineup. Very good eyepieces but not quite as consistent as the Naglers overall.

Getting back to the 6mm Speers Waler...I also wanted to mention that after a little more time using the eyepiece I did also notice some edge of field brightening. I found it a bit distracting so I would maybe recommend a pass on that one as well, unfortunately.

There you go...my thoughts on the Speers Waler Series 4. Hope this has been helpful to some out there.

RL

[Jehujones]

Last week I purchased the 25mm and was able to take it out last night but the sky conditions were horrible. It was a soupy 18.11mpsas mess. Best conditions for my location would be mid to high 19’s. I can’t give any report yet other than to say that I found eye placement very easy and comfortable despite the short advertised 10mm relief. Perhaps this is due to the highly concave eye lens. The eyepiece does not come with an eye guard but I happened to have a selection of various sizes that I purchased from Agena a while ago. Adding a rubber eye guard is almost mandatory and for the price of this eyepiece I would have expected better. Nevertheless, my initial limited impression of the views was pleasing indeed. I was using a 80mm f7.5 refractor but I intend to use it in all my scopes. (except the little AT50 of course)

 

Edited by Jehujones, 01 June 2025 - 11:43 AM.

[Jehujones]

With added eye guard…

 

[Starman1]

Last week I purchased the 25mm and was able to take it out last night but the sky conditions were horrible. It was a soupy 18.11mpsas mess. Best conditions for my location would be mid to high 19’s. I can’t give any report yet other than to say that I found eye placement very easy and comfortable despite the short advertised 10mm relief. Perhaps this is due to the highly concave eye lens. The eyepiece does not come with an eye guard but I happened to have a selection of various sizes that I purchased from Agena a while ago. Adding a rubber eye guard is almost mandatory and for the price of this eyepiece I would have expected better. Nevertheless, my initial limited impression of the views was pleasing indeed. I was using a 80mm f7.5 refractor but I intend to use it in all my scopes. (except the little AT50 of course)

 

IMG_0574.jpeg

Well, with that little eye relief, this would not be an eyepiece for glasses wearers, and non-wearers of glasses wouldn't need the rubber eyecup, so not having one isn't really a negative on this eyepiece.

Prior to the mid '80s, eyepieces didn't have rubber eyecups, and there were a lot of eyepieces out there.

Rubber eyecups are important to protect glasses.  Otherwise, they aren't strictly necessary.

[Refractor6]

 Funny in the early 2000's the original series 1 Speers -Waler eps came with rubber fold up or down eye guard. My 7.4mm been folded down from day one in 2001. 

[Procyon]

Looks like a very nice and sturdy eyepiece! Good job on taking the plunge, nicely fitted eye guard too, wonder which one it is. Keep us up to date please : )

Love the lens also. Something about that 25mm FL that's easy on the eyes, no matter the low ER, I dunno.

Edited by Procyon, 01 June 2025 - 04:19 PM.